Is there any way of removing dents in planed pine (not including
sanding or planing them out)? The pine in question is a set of stairs
going up to my loft. Its the horizontal surfaces that have some dents.
The dents have been there for a few years. I wondered if there was
some trick such as filling the dents with some liquid or other so that
the wood swells up just in the place where it has been compacted...
maybe finish off by sanding etc...

Thanks

AL

In article ,
AL wrote:

Is there any way of removing dents in planed pine (not including
sanding or planing them out)? The pine in question is a set of stairs
going up to my loft. Its the horizontal surfaces that have some dents.
The dents have been there for a few years. I wondered if there was
some trick such as filling the dents with some liquid or other so that
the wood swells up just in the place where it has been compacted...
maybe finish off by sanding etc...

I've heard that making the dent wet and then applying heat (with an iron or
something) can make the wood swell. Never tried it though - and don't
complain to be if you end up with iron shaped marks on the stairs ;-)

Others on here will no doubt have more advice (and hopefully experience!)

Darren

dmc wrote:
In article ,
AL wrote:

Is there any way of removing dents in planed pine (not including
sanding or planing them out)? The pine in question is a set of stairs
going up to my loft. Its the horizontal surfaces that have some dents.
The dents have been there for a few years. I wondered if there was
some trick such as filling the dents with some liquid or other so that
the wood swells up just in the place where it has been compacted...
maybe finish off by sanding etc...


I've heard that making the dent wet and then applying heat (with an iron or
something) can make the wood swell. Never tried it though - and don't
complain to be if you end up with iron shaped marks on the stairs ;-)

I was advised the same thing by an experienced joiner; he reckoned even
a pretty deep dent would succumb to the iron trick. (Never tried it; in
the end I resorted to polyfilla followed by paint instead)!

If you think about it it makes sense; when you dent timber you are not
actually losing any material, you are compressing the fibres; so what
the iron is doing is 'reflating' the compressed area.

Would be interested to hear how you get on!

David

I've often used hot water and it'll rise back; on waxed surface you may
lose some sheen/need to repolish.

On Sat, 15 Oct 2005 20:15:49 GMT, (AL) wrote:


Is there any way of removing dents in planed pine (not including
sanding or planing them out)? The pine in question is a set of stairs
going up to my loft. Its the horizontal surfaces that have some dents.
The dents have been there for a few years. I wondered if there was
some trick such as filling the dents with some liquid or other so that
the wood swells up just in the place where it has been compacted...
maybe finish off by sanding etc...

Thanks

AL


You can try a steam iron through a tea towel on this as long as they
are just dents and no material has been lost.

Have the iron on the steam setting and use the tea towel folded twice.
Lay the towel over a dented area and apply the iron fairly firmly but
not sliding it around. Try for about ten seconds then lift iron and
towel to look.

Allow a short time for the fibres to swell and then repeat if
necessary. I've found this to work quite well as long as it isn't
rushed.

You may not get it perfect, but should be able to improve it.


--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Sat, 15 Oct 2005 20:15:49 GMT, (AL) wrote:

Is there any way of removing dents

Yes.

in pine

Very yes.

The dents have been there for a few years.

No.

The trick is some variation on laying a damp tea towel over the surface,
then ironing it. It's not necessary to dampen just the dent, the effect
is it "restore" the timber, rather than to "raise" all of it.

On Sat, 15 Oct 2005 20:15:49 +0000, AL wrote:


Is there any way of removing dents in planed pine (not including
sanding or planing them out)? The pine in question is a set of stairs
going up to my loft. Its the horizontal surfaces that have some dents.
The dents have been there for a few years. I wondered if there was
some trick such as filling the dents with some liquid or other so that
the wood swells up just in the place where it has been compacted...
maybe finish off by sanding etc...

Thanks

AL


My father who was a time served Cabinet maker used the steaming trick, as
the other posts have said, lots of times and it always worked for him.
It was a well used ' trick of the trade' which he taught me although I
never followed him into cabinet making.

Dave

dave stanton wrote:
My father who was a time served Cabinet maker used the steaming
trick, as the other posts have said, lots of times and it always
worked for him. It was a well used ' trick of the trade' which he
taught me although I never followed him into cabinet making.

What about one of those steam cleaning machines? The ones that work like a
wall paper stripper?

Dave

On Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:42:19 GMT, "david lang"
wrote:

dave stanton wrote:
My father who was a time served Cabinet maker used the steaming
trick, as the other posts have said, lots of times and it always
worked for him. It was a well used ' trick of the trade' which he
taught me although I never followed him into cabinet making.

What about one of those steam cleaning machines? The ones that work like a
wall paper stripper?

Dave


Provided that it can deliver heat and steam to the area, then
possibly.

An iron is simple though.


--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:42:19 +0000, david lang wrote:

dave stanton wrote:
My father who was a time served Cabinet maker used the steaming
trick, as the other posts have said, lots of times and it always
worked for him. It was a well used ' trick of the trade' which he
taught me although I never followed him into cabinet making.

What about one of those steam cleaning machines? The ones that work like a
wall paper stripper?

Dave

Dont know, my dad always used a wet rag and an old flat file heated up in
gas ring. Oh and a damp rag with old flat iron when dealing with veneer.

Dave